Extreme makeover: Renovating courthouse dome is a tall order

Even for Chris Bailey, it was a special assignment. A historical preservationist, Bailey had traveled all over the United States restoring hundreds of buildings to their former glory. Bailey and his team would need rope ladders, special harnesses and rappelling equipment to scale the dome of one of the United States’ nationally registered historic buildings — the Tuscarawas County Courthouse.

Even for Chris Bailey, it was a special assignment. A historical preservationist, Bailey had traveled all over the United States restoring hundreds of buildings to their former glory.

His new assignment would be somewhat unprecedented.

The copper dome, which stands 125 feet high, would need a lot of patchwork, covering cracks and fixing panels.

To get to the cracks, Bailey and his team would need rope ladders, special harnesses and rappelling equipment to scale the dome of one of the United States’ nationally registered historic buildings — the Tuscarawas County Courthouse.

It also would take the Dublin-based Millennium Preservation Group a few days to assess what further improvements would be needed to preserve the 130-year-old building, as well as come up with a plan to install the courthouse’s recently recovered eagle.

Construction of the courthouse began in 1882 and was completed in 1884. Major repairs to the dome were made in 1973, the same year the eagle was placed on the cupola. The eagle went missing in October of 2006 and returned seven years later. In the meantime, courthouse employees were faced with a more pressing matter — leakage. Once the Tuscarawas County commissioners secured the funding, they performed an in-depth search to find a specially trained crew who could not only work in dangerous conditions, but also had the old-fashioned craftsmanship skills necessary for the job.

Bailey, a project superintendent for Millennium, and the rest of his four-man team welcomed the challenge.

The four men, who are specialists in the dying arts of masonry and soldering and restoring copper and slate roofs, were recently assigned to patching copper tiles on the dome

In fact, much of the metal work is done while standing on a scaffolding that could be anywhere from 100 to 300 feet in the air. That’s one of the thrills of working on 200-year-old church steeples, museums, courthouses and homes, Bailey explained.

Still, the Tuscarawas County courthouse repairs presented different challenges, which is why Bailey and Newcomerstown native Mark Crosby avoided scaffolding in favor of — rappelling. Their job was to find and make repairs on cracks in the dome to prevent further water damage to the dome’s 130-year-old wooden beams.

“This is probably the most extreme thing I’ve had to do,” Bailey said. “I’ve been 320 feet up on a steeple. ... I’ve never gone rappelling before.”

And he loves it. When Bailey began working in construction more than a decade ago, he quickly realized he didn’t want to build cookie-cutter homes. “I wanted to take what was existing and put it back to what it was originally,” he said. “One of the best parts of the job is getting into spaces where hardly anyone has access to and running around and climbing on a roof.”

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He said he has enjoyed working on the courthouse. “It’s a giant jungle gym with a great view. There are gentle rolling hills around and you can see everything.”

‘A SYMBOL FOR THE COUNTY’

Tuscarawas County Commissioner Chris Abbuhl said he is impressed with the team’s work, noting he would not want the task of scaling the dome. “It makes me appreciate the job I have,” he said. “That’s a dangerous job. They did it well.”

Abbuhl noted that safety was the top priority and the Millennium employees had several hours of Occupational Safety and Health Administration training before working on the project.

Last year, Abbuhl earned the county a grant through the Governor’s Office of Appalachia to cover 50 percent of the $16,000 project. Abbuhl pursued the grant after leakage and other issues were increasingly apparent in the courthouse.

Abbuhl said that Jack Hupp, the courthouse’s lead maintenance tech, and Scott Reynolds, the director for the Tuscarawas County Office of Economic Development, have assisted with the grant and overseeing the project.

Hupp worked with different contractors to get prices. He realized that fixing the dome’s leaks needed to become a priority sooner rather than later.

“My concern is when you have a leak that high it really compromises the integrity of the entire structure,” Hupp said. “I think I started in late October, looking around asking questions.”

And the repairs are just beginning, said Abbuhl, adding that it is difficult to maintain older buildings and, at the same time, it’s incumbent upon the county to maintain the “historical integrity.”

“We’re trying to be proactive,” Abbuhl said.

That’s why commissioners had a study completed years ago to allow them to know the next steps needed for preventative maintenance. The board also has asked the Millennium Group for recommendations.

Commissioners also are awaiting recommendations on how to secure the eagle to its original perch on top of the dome.

“It’s a symbol,” Abbuhl said. “It’s a symbol for the county.”

PRESERVING HISTORY

If and when the time comes to put the eagle back and continue maintenance on the courthouse, Crosby said he hopes he gets to be a part of the project.

“I’d love to be able to redo it,” said Millennium’s sheet metal mechanic.

Crosby said he has enjoyed historical preservation for several years and is excited to work in his home county.

Bailey agreed.

“It’s really important to preserve history,” he said. “The beauty of it and the longevity of the project is well worth it.”